SABRES ARE PLAYOFF BOUND!

In honor of the day off many of you may have today (not me!), I’ve prepared a history lesson for everyone. Class participation is required. First Question: Where were you on April 14th, 1996? Hopefully many of you are able to say “Memorial Auditorium”, as 10 years ago today the Sabres closed out the Aud with a 4-1 victory over my hometown Hartford Whalers.

Next question: Where were you May 10th, 2001? I was in my dorm room as a junior in college, long before the NYCBBB was a twinkle in the eye of the Matts. The significance of that day? The last time a Buffalo team competed in the playoffs. “Mr. Cheap Shot” Darius Kasperitis floated the Game 7 winning shot over Dominik Hasek in OT to prevent the Sabres from reaching their 3rd Conference championship in 4 years and I still vividly remember kicking a chair, storming around and generally being as miserable as possible. Almost 5 years, one bankruptcy, one lockout, and countless Bills heartbreaks ago.

Final Question: Where will you be watching the Pride of Buffalo and hottest team in hockey fight for the Stanley Cup? Answer: McFADDEN’S!!! In honor of the best team Buffalo has seen in years we are taking McFadden’s out of summer storage bringing back the spirit of Little Buffalo. Here are the details:

McFadden’s will broadcast every Sabres playoff game this Spring with drink and appetizer specials. The have clinched 4th place in the Eastern Conference and will play either the Rangers, Devils or Flyers. If they play the Rangers or Devils all the games will on local TV and will be shown at McFadden’s. If they play the Flyers, most of the games will be OLN. However, some may only be available on the Center Ice package. McFadden’s is currently exploring the cost of getting Center Ice for the playoffs. Please send me a quick email if you would be interested in watching the games at McFadden’s so I can get a idea of the interest in this.

DRY RUN – TUESDAY APRIL 18th
The final Sabres game on the regular season is Tuesday April 18th at 7pm against the Carolina Hurricanes, the top team in the Eastern Conference. We will be showing the game at McFadden’s with sound AND $3 domestic drafts, domestic bottles, and well drinks and well as 1/2 priced appetizers! This is will serve as a dry run for the specials and atmosphere for the playoffs game so please stop by!!

BANDWAGON INFO
In case you are a late arriver to the Sabres Bandwagon, I’ll include the highlights of this historic season so you can be up to speed for the playoff and get FIRED UP!!

– The Sabres play a fast, high tempo, entertaining game, predicated on causing turnovers and using their speed to attack on offense.
– With 3 games left, the Sabres have already tied the team record for Victories with 49.
– They have 263 goals, their most since 93-94 and 6th most in the entire NHL.
– They have strung together numerous multi-game win streaks this season and are currently on a roll with 4 wins in their last 5 games, including 2 wins over the top seeded Ottawa Senators.
– In the Buffalo News co-captain Daniel Briere is drawing comparisons to Pat Lafontaine, Maxim Afinogenov is being compared to the great Gilbert Perreault (skating ability-wise).
– They have amazing depth, consistently playing all four lines. There have been numerous injuries but thanks to major contributions from rookies and career years from other players they haven’t missed a beat. This depth will be a major asset in the playoffs.

Don’t believe it? Come to McFadden’s and see for yourself!

TICKETS
As mentioned above, the Sabres are guaranteed to play a local team in the first round. I currently don’t have info about how to get tickets in the event the Sabres play the Flyers or Rangers. If they play the Devils tickets should be easy to come by since the Devils almost never sell out. If you have a connection to tickets, or want to organize a caravan to an NJ or Philly (or even Buffalo!) let me know and I will help out any way I can.